SHILLONG, JAN 5: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) has strongly condemned Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong’s recent remark that the Meghalaya Residents’ Safety and Security (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was being allowed to “die a natural death,” a statement in which he attributed the Bill’s failure to the previous Mukul Sangma-led government.
In a statement issued on Monday, HYC president Roykupar Synrem said the comment amounted to an admission of failure by the present administration.
“This is not a political opinion; it is a self-indictment of the present government’s failure,” Synrem said.
He asserted that legislation does not lapse automatically but is either advanced through political will or abandoned through executive inaction.
“The record is clear and undisputed. The MRSS Amendment Bill was introduced in the Assembly in March 2020 under the present Chief Minister. In November 2023, the Bill was returned by the Ministry of Home Affairs for review. From that point onwards, the Government repeatedly assured the public of re-examination, legal consultation, and stakeholder engagement. Yet, despite enjoying a clear majority and ample time, no amendment to the principal Act was ever brought before the House,” Synrem stated.
The HYC president accused the current Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government of attempting to shift responsibility onto the previous regime.
“Legislative defects, if any, could have been rectified at any stage during the MDA’s tenure. The failure to do so is not historical; it is current,” he said.
The youth body also pointed to contradictions in the government’s public stance on the Bill.
“Repeated claims that the Centre had ‘not rejected’ the Bill contrast sharply with the present admission that it has been allowed to lapse. These inconsistent positions reinforce the perception of indecision and lack of seriousness on an issue directly affecting indigenous security and demographic stability,” Synrem said.
Warning against the implications of inaction, the HYC said allowing the residents’ safety framework to collapse without an alternative sends a “dangerous signal” that the protection of indigenous people is “negotiable, postponable, and ultimately expendable.”
The council has demanded clarity from the government, urging it to state unequivocally whether it intends to pursue a robust law with the Centre or has abandoned the objective altogether.
“Place on record, without ambiguity, whether it intends to pursue with the Government of India to secure a strong law with enforceable provisions, or whether it has formally abandoned the objective of a statutory entry-regulation mechanism altogether. Silence and evasion will only confirm what the Deputy Chief Minister’s statement has already revealed,” Synrem said.
He added that the HYC would pursue the matter through all democratic and constitutional means until the government provides clarity, accountability, and concrete action.
